Fixing
by 4thestrife
Summary: Ron has always had to fix things, even his friends. Warning: Abusive Relationship,  Picking Up The Pieces Series Part 2


Ron has always had to fix things. It's because he breaks things so easily, his wand, his relationships, his friends. So he's learned how to put things back together over the years. So when he sees Harry start to fall apart he knows he has to do something.

Harry doesn't say anything to him, but he can see the signs. His best mate is constantly tired, showing up to the Auror office worse for wear constantly. On top of that Ron sees the bruises, no matter how hard Harry tries to hide them. Harry had always been rubbish at healing spells.

Sometimes he would have a black eye, or there would be blue and purple marks running up his arms and even once or twice his lip was split. Finally one day Ron just can't watch anymore and approaches him about it.

"Where've you been getting these?" Ron asks picking up Harry's arm and gesturing at the bruises.

Harry yanks his arm away quickly and pulls the sleeve of his robe down to cover them once again. He shuffles some of the parchement on his desk nervously and can't meet Ron's gaze.

"I tripped the other day. I'm really clumsy sometimes." He says.

Ron doesn't believe him. Harry had never been clumsy, not even in his youth. He doubted Harry just _tripped _over things. But he knew better then to press the subject and instead changed the topic to the recent Chudley Cannons game.

It's only a few weeks later when Harry invites him and Hermione over for supper with him and Malfoy one evening. Ron had always disagreed with Harry's choice to date the prat, but he knew that Hermione would chew him out if he ever said anything about it. _People change Ronald!_ Yeah he would believe it when he saw it.

He and Hermione met up early to visit George at his shop before doing a side along apparition to Godric's Hollow where Harry was staying. They were both stunned when upon arriving at the threshold of the rebuilt house to hear raised voice on the other side of the door. After a long minute of listening to the shouting Hermione reached up and knocked tentatively on the door.

Instantly the voice quieted, and then the door was thrown open and Harry was smiling at them and bending down to hug Hermione. When Harry moved to hug him as well Ron didn't miss the redness surrounding his friend's eyes. If he didn't know any better he would have thought Harry had been crying.

The dinner had been tense to say the least, as Malfoy still couldn't stand to be in Ron or Hermione's presence, but Harry tried to make the best of it. Hermione tried to enjoy herself but Ron on the other hand couldn't seem to cheer himself up after he noticed another dark bruise along Harry's neck.

Ron's gaze flickered to Malfoy, and caught the blond haired man also staring at Harry's bruise. For a moment when the other man's eyes met his own Ron thought he saw a flicker of guilt, but the grey eyes quickly hardened to glare at him.

That was when Ron would say he started to have his suspicions.

Those suspicions grew over the following weeks, when Harry would show up at work again and again, with unexplainable injuries, looking tired and worn and generally on edge. Ron tip toed around the subject but when he did mention it he got the same excuses.

_I fell. _

_Oh it's nothing. _

_A spell I was trying misfired. _

Ron finally broke down and went to Hermione. When he asked her about it she said she hadn't noticed anything but she would keep her eye out in the future. She didn't agree with him when he suggested that Malfoy might have something to do with it, even going as far as to reprimand him for saying that _Draco_ would do such a thing.

He knew then that he would have to fix this on his own.

His first step was to confront Malfoy, and he did but none to gently. Ron knew it was a risk grabbing Malfoy when he was at work and then beating him like he did, but it was a risk he had to take. After that though he was certain of the git's guilt. _I've never hurt Harry_. They both knew it was a lie.

The next thing he did was go to Harry, but whenever he even tried to breech the subject of Malfoy's abuse Harry would find some excuse to leave or avoid him. It became a full out chase for Ron trying to hunt down Harry and make sure he wasn't hurt too badly that day.

After nearly a month of trying to talk to Harry about it, Ron decided it was just time to go to Godric's Hollow himself and just take Harry. He couldn't just let his best mate live like that. But when he got there he was horrified at what he found.

Harry was sprawled on the lawn outside of his house, blood seeping from a wound on his chest made by some sort of cutting curse, while Malfoy looked on, hands bloody. Ron still wasn't sure how he managed to keep himself from murdering Malfoy right there on the spot but he did it.

He scooped Harry into his arms and disapparated to the Burrow, hoping that someone, his mother, Hermione, bloody hell his sister would be there to try and help him. But no one was and he was there standing in the Burrow's kitchen as Harry slowly bled out onto the floor. He carefully laid the man's body on the dining room table and accioed one of his mother's old healing spell books, grateful for once that she had held on to them.

It took him far too long to find a suitable spell, by which point Harry was turning an unusual shade of white. He didn't have time to practice the spell only pull out his wand point it at Harry and say it.

"Vulnera Sanentur!"

For a long minute nothing happened and Ron was afraid that the spell hadn't worked, but finally Harry's skin started to stitch itself back together, and the bleeding stopped. Ron took a long shuddering breath and watched as slowly Harry's colour started to return back to normal.

He wouldn't admit later on that he had cried but as he watched Harry's eyes blinked open he had to swat at a few stray tears that threatened to come out.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" He whispered collapsing into one of the kitchen mismatched chairs.

Harry blinked at him confusedly for a moment before his eyes found the gaping whole torn in his shirt, and the pink scar that was still healing itself. "Oh Merlin." He said, "Ron I swear he didn't mean to. He can't help it."

Ron raised his head from his hands to glare at his friend. "Don't you dare defend him!" He spat, "You almost died."

"It was an accident." Harry said in a small voice dropping his head back to the table top.

"I don't care what it was! You're not going back to him." Ron said.

Harry glared at him. "I'm an adult Ron I can take care of myself!"

Ron's brows furrowed together in anger and he had to bite his cheek to keep from yelling. "Obviously you can't mate. He's abusing you Harry. It's not some sort of accident, its abuse!"

Harry tried to sit up but quickly fell back when the effort became too much, but Ron stood up as well, as if preparing to grab Harry if he tried to move. "Take me back Ron. Take me back right now! Draco's going to feel terrible about this. I need to see if he's alright."

Ron guffawed. "You need to see if he's alright? Harry you were just mortally injured and you need to check and see if the Ferret is upset about hurting you." He slammed his fist down onto the table top and Harry flinched, "Are you even listing to yourself?"

"Just shut up Ron!" Harry yelled.

"I'm not going to shut up until you get it!" Ron shouted right back, fisting his hands.

Harry shifted to see him as Ron stomped around the room. "Don't you think I get it?" He cried, "I know what's happening! It's just that if maybe I stay with him; work it through with him long enough it will get better." He shuddered and then Ron was startled when he let out a small sob. "I just want it to be like it was before. He was so nice before, it was perfect before."

Ron stood there stunned and unsure of what to do, he reached over awkwardly to hug Harry and was surprised even further when Harry grabbed onto him tightly and began to cry into his shoulder. Ron sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry Harry, but it's not going to get better." Ron whispered rubbing his friend's back empathetically.

"I know," Harry sobbed, "I know."


End file.
